BT buys ESPN's UK and Ireland TV channels

BT has acquired ESPN's America, UK and Ireland TV channels, giving it the
rights to show the FA Cup and some European football, as it looks to broaden
the appeal of its sport coverage due to launch this summer.

Last summer, BT paid £738m for the rights to 38 Premier League football games per season for three yearsPhoto: REUTERS

BT has continued to expand its sporting coverage as it ups its competition with BSkyB, and the new deal includes the broadcasting rights to the FA Cup, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League, UEFA Europa League, and the German Bundesliga.

The telecoms giant said it expected the deal to be completed by July 31, after which BT will continue to operate at least one ESPN-branded channel which is expected to form part of the BT Sport TV package due to be launched by this summer.

Following completion of the deal BT Sport customers will be able to see live coverage of the FA Cup for the 2013/14 season, the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League until the end of the 2016/17 season and the UEFA Europa League and German Bundesliga through to the end of the 2014/15 season.

Customers will also be able to view US sports currently shown on ESPN America, including NCAA College Basketball, NCAA College Football and NASCAR.

The ESPN channels will be broadcast from BT Sport’s new headquarters in the Olympic Park in Stratford.

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Marc Watson, chief executive of television, BT Retail, said: "The FA Cup, Scottish Premier League and Europa League rights will allow us to offer customers of BT Sport even more quality live football, including our first games from the Scottish top flight and our first European competition rights.

"There will also be the best of US sports available courtesy of this deal, which will further broaden the appeal of BT Sport.”

ESPN will continue to own and operate its existing digital media businesses which include its website portal ESPN.co.uk, ESPNcricinfo (cricket), ESPNFC (football), ESPNscrum (rugby), ESPNF1 (Formula 1) and broadband streaming service ESPN Player.

The Disney-owned group said ESPN Classic was not part of the BT deal, as it looks to wind down the business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Last summer, BT paid £738m for the rights to 38 Premier League football games per season for three years

The telecoms group will show 38 matches a season for three years from 2013 in a move designed to boost its entertainment offering and provide more competition to BSkyB.

However, BSkyB will still broadcast the vast majority of live Premier League matches after paying £2.28bn, or £760m a year, to show 116 matches from the 2013/2014 season.

BT is also due to start screening Aviva Premiership games in a £152m four-year deal from September, replacing the league’s current broadcasters Sky Sports and ESPN.

BT’s on-screen talent will be led by Jake Humphrey, who is rumoured to be on a deal worth more than £750,000 per year, and woman of the moment Clare Balding. Their production will be done in the media centre at the Olympic Park in Stratford, where they propose to build no fewer than three studios and 20 edit suites.